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Guy Paid Stranger's Parking Meter And Everyone Thinks He's A Genius

Advertising in today's world is tough. Trying to drum up business when you're new to an industry is also one of the toughest feats for any new business to overcome. That's probably why you see so many clever and punny billboards along highways. They're willing to do anything and just about everything to get you to give them 10 seconds of attention to maybe consider their services.

Well this guy certainly took it to new levels. A car insurance salesman took a twenty-five cent gamble that is paying off in a huge way. A Reddit user posted an image of a note he found on his car reading, "I paid your parking meter for you ... imagine what else I'm willing to do to protect your car." Attached was a business card for a man who was identified as Andrew Cooney, who sells insurance in Rochester, Minnesota.

The poster captioned the note, saying, "Got caught up and couldn't pay my meter today," and labeling Cooney as a "Marketing Mad Man." Cooney confirmed to Mashable that this is indeed one of his many strategies for attracting business, but he probably never thought it would lead to being on the front page of Reddit. The comments in Cooney's favor are wildly enthusiastic:

Though of course, there are plenty of suspicious people on Reddit, who were quick to suggest the whole thing is a scheme. I mean, it kinda is, but probably not one that Cooney thought would get THIS big:

If Cooney did post this image to Reddit himself, he's even more of a genius than we all initially thought. That's also a much cheaper form of advertising than going up and down Rochester's main street filling meters. My hat's off to him, either way.